Poll: Do you believe in free will?

[Rolling Thunder]

It does not matter whether you believe in Free Will. The question is: Does Free Will believe in you?

 

[mrpenguinismyhomeboy]

For all intents and purposes, we have free will. Whether or not we really have free will doesn't matter, Cause if your supposed to die and you don't have free will, and you know both of these things, you wouldn't bother doing anything to prevent, but if you did you'd end up failing. But since the person who is controlling you (since you don't have free will) has decided your death will be inevitable, then why would he allow to to try and change it, even though it be futile? I think it all really comes down to (And I quote the Eldar on this) that time shapes us just as much as we shape it, and that while we may not have control of what events come our way, we definitely have control of our responses to them. I don't think any quantum physics stuff is really responsible for the actions we take, our actions are far too simple for that.

 

[munkyforce]

Yes free will exists. Of course we make choices based on our circumstances, however we still make the choice. I think that claiming there is no free will is simply a cop out, a way of comforting ourselves, and relieving ourselves of responsibility for our actions. If there is no free will how can we be held accountable for our actions? Would we really let a statement like "I was genetical pre-disposed to killing my spouse for their money, so it's not my fault" go by unchallenged?

 

[dontworryaboutit]

Fate is fucking stupid. Sarah Connor taught me that.

 

[Mozared]

I didn't vote; I don't think I'm "destined" to vote no, but I don't really 'belief' in it. I think our brains do control everything there is about us, but that that, in a way, ís free will.

 

[AhumbleKnight]

Only the end is fixed. Not the journey.
[sub]C'mon! Even The Doctor believes in Free Will![/sub]

If it is good enough for The Doctor, then it is good enough for me.

 

[LuzGutierrez]

Free Will is OBVIOUSLY true. I mean so what if things go ONE WAY. Honestly, if we didn't have free will, why would we even be typing here? Why would there be a NEED for a community of ANY TYPE? Communities are like the ESSENCE of free will. We willingly CHOOSE to post here, or not to. If free will wasn't existent, than all our vast knowledge, all the collected information of ALL humanity, would have never existed, because we would have acted purely on instinct.

Also, OP's experiment doesn't sound like a test of Free Will, but rather, a test of instinct. If you reach for a certain cake before even registering the two choices, it merely means that your body is choosing one over the other instinctually, because of taste. NOTHING TO DO WITH free will. The fact they can only pick one over the other, that is free will, and they fact they contemplate which one to choose, that is free will. Not because you are given a choice, but because you have an equal probability in "free will" to choose once over the other.

 

[Worsle]

Free will's simply causality. Every decision you make is caused by something, and that something was caused by something else, and so on in a chain of cause and effect that has gone on since anything has ever existed.

To put it simply, Dr. Manhattan was right.

This is kind of my point. It isn't really free will because there is no chance of it being something else since it is determined by everything that has gone before.

The thing is there is a certain uncertainty built into the universe or so it seems so I don't think we can say what will happens is all set in stone from day one. However I am not so sure about free will either. Ultimately humans seem to be reasoning machines, though we don't know the exact rules we run on we do run on rules. Given a set situation at a set point in your life and you will always make the same choice.

Though I guess it could be argued our ability to sort out information and pick the best choice for it is free will of a kind. I am just not sure it is the best word for it.

 

[Hedberger]

Free will's simply causality. Every decision you make is caused by something, and that something was caused by something else, and so on in a chain of cause and effect that has gone on since anything has ever existed.

To put it simply, Dr. Manhattan was right.

There is one way to break the chain of events though. If you somehow learn what is going to happen you have forced the chain to make a new series of events. Simply knowing whatäs going to happen can drastically change your behavior when the event occurs.

 

[Kaelan]

Do you believe in free will?

Of course I do. I have no choice.

 

[A random person]

Free will's simply causality. Every decision you make is caused by something, and that something was caused by something else, and so on in a chain of cause and effect that has gone on since anything has ever existed.

To put it simply, Dr. Manhattan was right.

There is one way to break the chain of events though. If you somehow learn what is going to happen you have forced the chain to make a new series of events. Simply knowing whatäs going to happen can drastically change your behavior when the event occurs.

Knowing what's going to happen is just part of the chain, but you bring up a good point. I'll just go with the Back to the Future II explanation and say you'll produce a parallel timeline.

 

[Ben7]

Atoms and particles behave in probabilistic ways, but our mind is made of atmos and particles...

How can free will exist?

 

[Hedberger]

Free will's simply causality. Every decision you make is caused by something, and that something was caused by something else, and so on in a chain of cause and effect that has gone on since anything has ever existed.

To put it simply, Dr. Manhattan was right.

This is kind of my point. It isn't really free will because there is no chance of it being something else since it is determined by everything that has gone before.

The thing is there is a certain uncertainty built into the universe or so it seems so I don't think we can say what will happens is all set in stone from day one. However I am not so sure about free will either. Ultimately humans seem to be reasoning machines, though we don't know the exact rules we run on we do run on rules. Given a set situation at a set point in your life and you will always make the same choice.

Though I guess it could be argued our ability to sort out information and pick the best choice for it is free will of a kind. I am just not sure it is the best word for it.

The only thing that keeps the future uncertain is uncertainty. In theory we could make a map of all of history both future and past if we knew all variables originating from the Big-Bang.

 

[Hedberger]

Free will's simply causality. Every decision you make is caused by something, and that something was caused by something else, and so on in a chain of cause and effect that has gone on since anything has ever existed.

To put it simply, Dr. Manhattan was right.

There is one way to break the chain of events though. If you somehow learn what is going to happen you have forced the chain to make a new series of events. Simply knowing whatäs going to happen can drastically change your behavior when the event occurs.

Knowing what's going to happen is just part of the chain, but you bring up a good point. I'll just go with the Back to the Future II explanation and say you'll produce a parallel timeline.

Never saw that movie. So how would that work?

 

[Zukonub]

Let's say you just ate a piece of pizza. You ate it why? Because you wanted to. Above all other matters in regards to the pizza, you desired eating it the most. You can't control what you want, so your eating the pizza was not your exercising free will. We can't control the circumstances in which we're placed so we never get to exercise free will.

 

[the1ultimate]

I believe in determinism and free will.
Determinism does not rule out free will. You choose your actions because they are things you want to do. even if in a given set of circumstances you will always want to do you the same thing, doesn't make your actions any less yours. I mean honestly, what kind of a cop out is that?

 

[A random person]

Free will's simply causality. Every decision you make is caused by something, and that something was caused by something else, and so on in a chain of cause and effect that has gone on since anything has ever existed.

To put it simply, Dr. Manhattan was right.

There is one way to break the chain of events though. If you somehow learn what is going to happen you have forced the chain to make a new series of events. Simply knowing whatäs going to happen can drastically change your behavior when the event occurs.

Knowing what's going to happen is just part of the chain, but you bring up a good point. I'll just go with the Back to the Future II explanation and say you'll produce a parallel timeline.

Never saw that movie. So how would that work?

Hmm, I don't really know. Keep in mind I was just guessing and have no background in quantum physics or whatever I would need to know to make a feasible timeline theory.

 

[Matronadena]

I've always believed that we do....however over the years of practicing and living based more on Soto-Zen I've started to see first hand how we can completely change and alter how we act, react, and largely alter ones perceptions/mindfulness from what they may have originally been.

so by that we always have our free will...biggest question is does one exercise that as often as they should? does one even bother trying? does one do so too often?